प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

156 EDUCATION IN ANCIENT INDIA [Ch.
specialise in Tripiṭakas and other early works of
orthodox Buddism, whereas those of the Mahāyāna
school used to study the works of their famous
scholars like Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu and Dharmakīrti.
Besides mastering their own works on philosophy, the
Buddhist scholars used to study Hindu works on
metaphysics as well.
Courses for Monks : The curriculum prescribed
for the monk scholar was naturally somewhat different.
It did not include any special study of secular sciences
like poetics, literature or astrology, but was concerned
principally with theological subjects. For ten years
after his admission as a novice, the monk-student was
under the direct guidance and control of his preceptor,
who used to initiate him in the study of Pāli and
Sanskrit. When these languages were properly
mastered, a thorough study of the sacred texts, (the
Tripiṭakas,) was started. When this was over, relatively
recent works on Buddhist religion and philosophy
were mastered. Hindu systems of religion, logic and
philosophy were then carefully studied in order to meet
the Hindu opponent on his own ground. It is
interesting to note that Yuan Chwang, who had under-
taken the arduous and perilous journey to India
primarily for studying Buddhist scriptures, spent two
fifth the period of his stay in India in studying Sanskrit
works on Hinduism. The education of the novice
did not terminate with his admission to the Order as
a full-fledged monk. For, the Buddhist monk was
expected to be a lifelong student like the Hindu
Naishṭhika Brahmachārin.
Selection of Text-books : We have no definite
information about the text-books prescribed for the
various courses in different institutions during different